Course Name: Foundation English Level 4 (Advanced)
Course Code: 812004
Contact Hours: 20
Credit Hours: None
Prerequisites: Foundation English Level 3 (812003) or ACCUPLACER ESL score between 401 and above
Instructor: Crystal Young
Email: crystalanneyoung@gmail.com
Office Hours: 12:00 - 1:40 PM Sundays and Tuesdays in the MFB SLSC (Student Learning & Support Center)



Course Description
Level 4 is the High-Intermediate level of the Foundation English Program. The course is designed to prepare students to study academic programs in English offered by Qatar University.

Required Textbooks
1. Strategic Reading 3
2. Academic Listening Encounters: Human Behavior
3. Greater Essays 5
4. Focus on IELTS - Units 11-20



Image sources: www.amazon.com and www.textbooks.com and www.letsbuyit.co.uk

Supplementary Materials
1. Photocopies of selected materials will be provided by your teacher and/or posted on Blackboard.

Websites
www.quizlet.com/
www.englishw.com
and other teacher-recommended sites.

Level 4 Course Objectives

• Read and comprehend academic texts across a broad range of topics.
• Use level appropriate academic vocabulary.
  
• Produce multi-paragraph essays utilizing the different modes necessary in academic writing.
• Communicate orally in academic contexts.
• Comprehend spoken discourse in an academic context.
• Employ knowledge of grammar for effective and accurate communication.
• Use strategies for successful independent learning.
• Apply appropriate ICT tools for learning, researching, collaborating, communicating and presenting information.
• Apply critical thinking skills.

Students are also encouraged to participate in Foundation club activities, tutorials, as well as TOEFL iBT / IELTS preparation activities organized by Foundation English Student Services to extend their learning outside the classroom.

Learning Strategies

• Keep a vocabulary list of new words and update it regularly.
• Read as much as possible outside of class, especially short stories, magazines and news articles.
• Always make an outline before starting to write.
• Use new grammar learnt whenever possible, especially in writing.
• Make cue cards for the grammar rules and constantly review them.
• Listen to natural English on TV or radio broadcasts, especially when the program is without subtitles.

Student Responsibilities and Foundation Rules

• It is your responsibility to make sure that you follow these rules. If you do not, you may not pass to the next level.
• Absences
• Coming to class everyday is very important if you want to pass to the next level
• If you are absent for a scheduled quiz, interview or for the Oral Presentation there is no make-up assessment and you will lose marks.
• Do not be late. (Every 3 late class arrivals will be counted as 1 class absence).
• You cannot miss more than 25% of classes; this is for excused and unexcused absences.
• If you miss 25%, including both excused and unexcused absences, you will NOT be allowed to take the final examination and will receive an "F barred‟ grade for the course.
• If you are absent for the common mid-term or final examinations, it is very difficult to take a make-up exam. Your instructor cannot help you. You will need to talk to the Foundation Program Department, and they will decide if you can take the exams. Your course instructor can provide further information on this.

Class Rules

• Come to class on time and prepared to work.
• Come to class with paper, pens, and textbooks.
• Do your own work on all assignments, quizzes and exams.
• No mobile phones in the class.
• Do not talk while the teacher is talking.
• Be respectful of other student‟s ideas and thoughts.
• If you do not follow the class rules and you disrupt class, you will be referred to the Head of the Foundation Program English Department.
• More information on student classroom conduct will be given to you by your teacher.

Grades & Assessment

• The total mark for your Level 3 grade is 100%. Classwork makes up 40% of the total and the Mid-term and Final exams make up 60% of the total.
• You need an overall score of 60%, a letter grade “D”, to pass the level and move to the next one. A letter grade D means you have scored between 60% - 64% of the total.
• All scores and letter grades for the course are in the table below.

90-100%	A
80-89%	B
70-79%	C
60-69%	D
0-59%	F

CLASSWORK (40%)
1. A Writing Portfolio of 3 writing assignments– total 7.5% of overall grade.
2. An Integrated Skills Project (ISP) – 6.5% of overall grade.
3. An Oral Presentation on the same topic as the ISP – 5% of overall grade.
4. Two formal Interviews. Interview#1 is 3% and Interview #2 is 5 % - a total of 8% of the overall grade.
5. Three Quizzes (1 Reading and Vocabulary, 1 Listening and Vocabulary, 1 Writing) – total 13% of overall grade.

Late Assignments
You must hand in your finalized Writing Portfolios and ISP by the date set by your teacher. Late assignments will result in the following penalties:
- 1 day late – minus 1 mark from the score out of 10.
- 2 days late – minus 2 marks from the score out of 10.
- 3 days late – minus 3 marks from the score out of 10.
- Work that is 4 or more days late will not be accepted and will score 0 out of 10.

MID TERM AND FINAL EXAMS (60%)
1. Mid-term Examination (Reading, Writing, Listening) – 24% of grade (Saturday, April 16, 2011).
2. Final Examination (Reading, Writing, Listening) – 36% of grade (Saturday, May 28, 2011).

See this page for Week 1's Reading & Writing Lesson Plans

See this page for online vocabulary practice.

Read this article and watch the video to prepare for Tuesday, February 14th's class.

See this page for extra online vocabulary practice.

Listen to this audio file about Street Art and answer these questions for listening practice. The audio file takes some time to open, so be patient.